an2rn

I'm a new grad, and a few months ago I started working in dialysis. During my college career, I contemplated switching degrees to health science or computer science, but I stuck with nursing because I liked studying medical content, I knew I would get a job, I already spent lots of money for years of college, and I thought nursing was a good experience for me to grow as a person. Now that I actually graduated and I'm not just studying books and taking tests, it's become more obvious to me that I just don't fit into this type of job. I knew I didn't like bedside nursing, but outpatient in-center dialysis also doesn't appeal to me. When I was in nursing school, I thought Nursing Informatics was a good route for me to take. However, after researching and reading posts about it on this website, NI seems like a route that requires experience as a bedside nurse, working with administration/business/EHR, etc., more so than just a Master's degree. I've also heard of NI graduates who aren't utilizing their degree and just working on the floor. I don't know what to do. I'm super introverted. I don't like small talk. I'm a good listener, but I'm not naturally a talker. I don't like that I'm at work for 13 hours straight (even though I'm still in training - I might end up doing about 14 hours when I'm on my own). My "dream job" would be shorter shifts, less people-interaction, and less acuity. I'm detail-oriented, and I learn and work better when I'm not super stressed. (In college, I worked with college enrollment and did a lot of computer data-entry office work). I know that I'm new in the nursing career, but I don't want to dread going to work all the time. I know there are behind-the-scenes nursing jobs, but majority of them require years of experience as a bedside nurse, which I don't want to do. Should I just go back to school for a completely different degree? Are there graduate school degrees I could consider that utilize my nursing degree? Thanks for your input. ?

Thank you for the reply! I realized dialysis, although very specialized, comes with many learning experiences as an RN.

How long until you start your BSN? I'm 1 month into the Davita training program, and it's not bad. The company treats its employees well, and the culture of the center I work at is very nice. Hope your interview went well! I think a job in dialysis as an RN will give you RN experience, although it's so much different from the hospital floor. So far I can see benefits of learning multi-tasking, patient assessment/intervention/education, CVC care, cannulation... etc.

I just recently started my first job as an RN in outpatient chronic dialysis, which was the only job I landed out of all my applications. So far I'm in my 2nd week of training, and it's not bad. In the first place, I didn't like the hospital med-surg setting from what I saw while I was a student, and this field feels a bit more likable. However, I've been advised by others who are experienced in dialysis not stay too long in there because I'm still young. Some suggested I get med-surg or ICU experience, and another suggested I get trained in acute dialysis and work on becoming an NP. I'm worried that by starting off in dialysis, I won't have the fundamental nursing knowledge/skills that I would've gotten otherwise from a med-surg, bedside nursing job. In the past, I've thought of getting a Master's in Nursing Informatics which isn't a guaranteed job at the moment. (At this point, IDK where I'm headed. I am an extreme introvert, and I'm detail-oriented. I like the idea of helping people... but not so great in socializing. So far, the technical side of dialysis is slightly intriguing to me.) Any advice on how long I should stay in chronic dialysis, and if I should get a med-surg job as soon as I can to build up my nursing knowledge?